Emmett Gerard | Birth Story
Emmett Gerard
On August 1st, 2020, Dustin, Ayden and I welcomed Emmett Gerard into our family.
Our due date was initially August 19th, close to Dustin’s father’s birthday. Just a few prenatal appointments in however, they suggested August 10th, Dustin’s grandparents’ anniversary, as a more accurate estimation as my belly began measuring ahead. While much of the pregnancy went smooth and eventless, we were faced with our baby being in a breech position that made carrying him incredibly uncomfortable and much more unlikely that we could have a natural delivery.
For the final weeks, we spent extra time visiting the chiropractor, using Spinning Babies techniques and swimming in Lake Superior in hopes that he would flip around in time. When we reached 36 weeks gestation, he still hadn’t flipped. We were then scheduled the following Thursday for an ECV, or external cephalic version, where the doctors would try to physically manipulate the baby into a more favorable position for birth. We arrived that Thursday at 5 am and the nursing staff set me up with an IV in the birthing suites, waiting for the doctor to arrive. The baby monitor was beeping nonstop as our baby wouldn’t stop moving. When our doctor came to check his position via ultrasound at 7 am, we discovered he had flipped!
The celebration of our baby flipping though was met with a new issue, however. On our way in for the ECV that never happened, I noticed my palms were uncharacteristically itchy. When the blood work came back on the following Monday, we learned I developed cholestasis and that my bile acid levels were elevated, which could put baby at high risk. “When do you want to be induced?” my doctor asked. When I began responding by asking to wait until after Saturday, she cut me short with a smile to say, “ oh, no, this baby is coming sooner.”
We scheduled to come in for induction on Thursday, July 30th. They first gave me Cytotec and monitored us through the night. Contractions began shortly after administration, but baby’s head hadn’t had the chance to descend into my pelvis very far after just flipping around. By morning, we gave Pitocin a try. They maxed out the amount they could administer, sending my contractions in high gear in hopes that their strength would be enough to direct our baby down further in a more favorable position. To no avail. That evening we switched it up again and tried Cervidill. The contractions continued, but by morning, no new progress was made other than sitting, squatting, walking, and lying through 40 hours of unmedicated, induced labor. We had the option to give PItocin another try, but we agreed with our doctor: he simply wasn’t ready to budge, but due to the risks and the fact he was beyond 37 weeks (fully developed), he needed to come out and c-section would be the next logical option.
Letting go of control, or at least letting go of thinking you’re in control, is always weird. After planning and dreaming of another natural birth, this time without an epidural, I was initially determined to avoid a c-section at all cost. That morning of August 1st, I didn’t protest though as I surrendered to the fact that our baby needed to arrive sooner than later to be safe. They began prepping me for the OR and rolled me in a wheelchair back. My greatest anxiety came from having something injected in my spinal column; I absolutely hated having an epidural before, and the simple idea of an object being deliberately impaled into a part of my central nervous system made me feel sick, even if it’s a procedure that’s performed all of the time. Thankfully an epidural was out this time due to the timeline we were on; we went with having a spinal. Due to my anxiety, the taking the spinal is what took the longest of the whole procedure. Once they had successfully administered it, I felt sensation draining from my legs and a hot feeling overtaking them as they transitioned my body to the designated cot and set up a drape. The anesthetist placed alcohol swabs at the base of my nose on my oxygen tubes; the smell apparently helps prevent you from throwing up when your blood pressure drops and it worked well!
Dustin sat at a stool next to me as they started calling out times and talking me through what was happening beyond the drape. Within just a couple of minutes, we heard our doctor say, “Oh! There’s a tiny ear!” We laughed through happy tears as we both already agreed that our baby definitely had Dustin’s ears. After a moment of silence and strange, strong feelings of pressure, our doctor announced he was still cozy and acted like he wasn’t ready to leave the womb, so they actually had to use a vacuum too to assist his entry earth-side! At 11:10 am, we heard our Emmett cry and they held him above the drape for us to see. His hands were snugged up against his cheeks and his head was perfectly round as it didn’t rest in my pelvis completely or for long. My sutures were in secured in place skillfully and swiftly, and Dustin stood beside Emmett while vitals were taken and he was initially cleaned up. We were all united in a new recovery room.
Emmett was born weighing in at 6 lbs 14 oz and was 19.5 inches long. Due to COVID-19, we were not allowed hospital visitors of any sort, but did we ever have the most beautifully busy window where Ayden, grandparents, aunts, and uncles all peered through to get their first glimpses of our newest family member. We cannot thank the OB staff at Bell and Melinda of Doulas of Marquette enough for their incredible care and encouragement through the entire experience.
